This week I want to start thinking about some Christian practices: prayer, sacramental worship, reading the Bible, acts of justice and kindness, and Christian behaviour. It will take me a few weeks to cover these. If you have any questions, as per usual blog or raise them in our catch-up sessions.
Prayer
All
relationships need communication for them to be healthy and rewarding. We find
that with our own families and friends. We need to communicate with them if
they are to understand us and we them. That communication can take a number of
forms. It can be deep conversation about something that concerns us, simple
requests for something, angry expressions of displeasure or happy conversation
where there is much humour and laughter. All these are normal human
conversation and communication. They help us to be in a relationship with
others.
Prayer to God
can be exactly the same. We can talk to God in prayer, just sharing our day
with God. We can bring to God our concerns and pray for those we love. We can
express our disappointment when things do not quite go right, and, at times, we
can express our anger with God about the injustices we experience in the world.
Prayer often motivates us to take action about such things as we co-operate
with God in God’s mission in the world.
One area that
often troubles us is when God seems not to answer our prayer or doesn’t appear
to be listening. We can feel that God has abandoned us. That experience is common
to most of us. The answer to this is not straight forward, but I tend to think
that sometimes God says no to our prayer, just like our parents say no to, what
may seem to us at least, a fair request. God knows what is best for the long
term and into eternity. At the other times, God may say not yet, but in time
our prayer request may be answered. Other times, I have found, that God says
yes straight away. Like many things in the Christian faith prayer is something
of a mystery and we will not seem totally logical to us. Most important of all,
however, is that prayer draws us closer to God and something of God’s heart
shared with us. As with all relationships, there are times of great joy and at
other times moments of struggle.
What does prayer
mean to you?
Has God answered
prayer the way you wanted?
Have there been
other times when you have felt disappointed that your prayer has not been
answered?
Chris
